Poland's potential to mirror Germany's growth in plant-based food
The main target group for producers are flexitarians, who are replacing animal products with plant-based alternatives.
In Poland, according to the Smart Protein report, the plant-based food market is also growing rapidly.
16% of Poles declare themselves flexitarians and 10% of milk sales are plant-based alternatives. Polish consumers declare a reduction in meat consumption - 48% of Poles have reduced their meat consumption in the last year. The main motivations are health (46%), animal welfare (33%) and the environment (21%).
Polish potential
As Patrycja Homa, president of the ProVeg Foundation, declares - Poland has the potential to follow a similar growth path as Germany (in 2023, the plant-based food market in Germany was valued at €1.91 billion, making it the largest plant-based market in Europe), with growing consumer interest in a plant-based diet.
The key distribution channel for plant-based meat and dairy substitutes in Poland is discount stores. The value of transactions in this segment is growing dynamically, which is important for the development of the entire category.
58% of consumers plan to shop at discounters and 48% at supermarkets. Retailers are regularly expanding their plant-based offerings, often using private labels. Prices for plant-based products are becoming increasingly competitive, contributing to their growing popularity.
16% of Poles declare themselves flexitarians and 10% of milk sales are plant-based alternatives.
According to CMR data, the market for plant-based meat substitutes in Poland has reached nearly half a billion zlotys, showing a dynamic growth of 25% year-on-year. The main drivers of growth are products such as hummus, vegetable cutlets and meatballs. These categories are widely distributed in discount stores, which contributes significantly to their popularity. Plant-based meat substitutes are available in every second retail shop in Poland.
The Polish market for plant-based alternatives is developing dynamically, driven by innovation, growing consumer interest and the support of large retail chains.
Source: ProVeg, PortalSpożywczy